A Violet Indiscretion
by PerpetualSnare
Summary: Jack confronts his best friend about an indiscretion. The year is 1921 and Prohibition is in effect.


**1921**

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**Every morning  
Every evening  
Ain't we got fun!  
Not much money  
Oh but honey  
Ain't we got fun!**

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_

Jack Sullivan had just gotten off of work and was heading to his favorite drinking establishment. The Track was a speakeasy operated by one of Jack's old friends from his newspaper selling days. Usually Jack came to The Track to catch a laugh with the fellas before heading home, but today he wasn't making a social call.

Jack approached the speakeasy and knocked on a heavy wooden door lightly. A small peep window a bit below Jack's eye-level opened and a pair of beady black eyes starred out at him.

"Password?", a nasal voice barked.

"How about 'I'm gonna bust your head.'", Jack quipped

"Dat ain't it Mista."

"Race, you know it's me...come on, open up."

"I don't know nothing…it could be a copper just pretendin' to be you."

"Fine, Silver Diamond.", Jack uttered the name of Racetrack's lucky horse.

With those words the peep window closed and the heavy door opened. Jack was ushered inside by a man of Italian descent who was a few heads shorter than him.

"I hate when ya do that.", Jack groused

"Yea, I just like giving ya da business. What can I get ya?"

"Da usual."

"One scotch for Cowboy.". Racetrack called to the bartender.

As Jack waited for his drink, he surveyed the room. The MC had just introduced Violet Allen to the stage. She was a singer that Racetrack had hired for entertainment. Violet had a decent voice, but she didn't have the chops to make it on Broadway. What Violet didn't have in talent, she made up with her face and figure. Violet Allen was a knockout. Her stunning looks were what first caught Racetrack's attention when he auditioned her.

Then, Jack noticed his brother in law David sitting at a table close to the stage. Both men worked for the Times, Jack in marketing and David in editorials. David was watching Violet with singular attention as she sang _Ain't We Got Fun _to the half empty room. Violet was wearing a royal purple dress that fell right above the knee. She had her stockings rolled down and she had applied rouge to her knees. Her blond sausage curls shook lightly as she swayed along to the music.

With scotch in hand, Jack sat down next to David, but didn't say anything.

"Hey Jack.", David said without taking his eyes off of Violet.

Jack leaned in to whisper in David's ear, "Sarah and I know."

"Know what?", David said innocently.

"About her.", Jack replied as his eyes and head leaned in Violet's direction.

David stopped smiling and turned his gaze towards Jack.

"How did you find out?"

"Ya know, the word gets around Dave. You is here all the time."

All of the color drained from David's face. He couldn't hide from Jack, not after all these years.

"Let's talk over there.", David said. He cocked his head towards a small table in a dark corner of the room.

Jack only shrugged his shoulders and followed Dave to the table. Once they were situated, David implored Jack.

"Does Lily know?"

"I don't know…but, if she don't, it ain't my place to tell her.", Jack replied.

"I don't know how it got this far.", David said and then rested his forehead on his right palm.

Jack looked at his friend, not with disgust, but with pity.

"I'm disappointed Dave. Lily's a good woman…"

David stole a glance at Violet who winked at him, then he turned his head away from her in shame.

"I know she is. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Jack leaned across the table in confidence. "You take her to bed?", he asked.

David shook his head in the affirmative.

"Be honest with me Jack, even though you're married to my sister. Haven't you ever wanted to stray?", David asked.

Jack's lower lip sucked in and he shook his head. "I gots no reason too. I mean, these young gals movin' around town with their short skirts…their easy on the eye, yea so of course I look…but I bet you a hundred rounds that none of them are on the level like your sister. Besides, how could I look my kid in the eye if I stepped out on his mother?"

David knew very well that Jack would never cheat on Sarah, he was too swell of a guy. At that moment David felt half the man that Jack was.

Jack pressed further., "I just gots one question Dave. Why?"

"I don't know. When Lily and I got married, I saw us having kids and getting old…then Les died, along with a lot of other good guys…and the flu took Mama. I couldn't make sense of anything. Violet makes me feel young again…carefree…no responsibilities. We just go out and laugh. "

Jack looked at his friend and drew a ring around the rim of his tumbler with his pinky finger.

"Excuses Dave…just excuses."

"Maybe."

" You know what your problem is?", Jack offered

"No, but you're going to tell me aren't you?"

"You married someone you didn't love."

Jack stood up, creased his fedora, and walked out of the speakeasy. For a moment, David just stared at the empty chair that Jack had occupied. Then, he buried his face in his hands.

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**Ain't we got fun  
Times are so bad and getting badder  
Still we have fun**


End file.
